4 Drone Sensors That Changed Warfare—and What Happens When They Come Home

After more than a decade of military surveillance, Afghanistan is among the most closely observed nations in the world. As the war progressed, manned observation aircraft gave way to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which can stay aloft far longer than anything carrying a pilot. Military technology often filters into civilian use. By congressional order, the FAA is preparing to open the skies over the United States to UAVs, making it likely that these sensor-laden drones will be coming home, flying overhead in U.S. airspace.

1) Aces Hy

1) Aces Hy

TYPE: Hyperspectral Sensor

BATTLEFIELD USE

Earlier this year the Air Force quietly deployed a new sensor called Aces Hy on its Predator drone in Afghanistan. It can see objects on the ground not visible to the human eye, such as hidden roadside bombs or illicit opium crops. Aces Hy is a hyperspectral imaging sensor developed by Raytheon Corp. Such sensors can pick up light across the electromagnetic spectrum, allowing them to detect the composition of specific objects based on their spectral "fingerprint."
These sensors have been previously used on satellites and on manned aircraft like Shadow Harvest, a Defense Intelligence Agency C-130 aircraft. But they are now migrating to drones.

DOMESTIC FUTURE

Hyperspectral sensors would have a variety of applications for homeland security. For example, Canadian researchers have already experimented with using hyperspectral imagery to find unmarked graves, which they believe could allow police to help find possible murder victims. Scientists also believe that hyperspectral mapping could be used to discriminate illegal crops such as marijuana from surrounding plants. Outside of law enforcement, mineral prospectors could benefit from airborne assaying, and farmers could get detailed information about their land.

2) Argus

2) Argus

TYPE: Wide-Area Surveillance

BATTLEFIELD USE

When Gorgon Stare—a sensor system with nine video cameras—was deployed to Afghanistan, officials praised its ability to keep watch over an entire city. But coming soon is Argus, a leaner and more powerful device. Argus has only four cameras, but each has 92 focal plane arrays. Argus is expected to generate 274 terabytes of data per hour, or roughly 6 to 13 petabytes of data every one or two days, "[That's] the equivalent of 137,000 high-definition movies per hour," says Lt. Gen. Larry James, the Air Force deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.

DOMESTIC FUTURE

In the U.S., these wide-area surveillance cameras would allow law enforcement to keep tabs on large parts of a city from above. But the need for complex multicamera systems may be fading. A state-of-the-art surveillance system called Kestrel was tested on a blimp this year during operations on the U.S.–Mexico border. The video system uses a single continuously swirling camera to monitor about 70 square miles. Such a blimp could be programmed with a velocity filter that can spot speeding vehicles. Every time the wide-area camera spots a violator, a higher-resolution camera onboard could zoom in to capture a license plate. And they aren't limited to blimps: Small UAVs could do similar surveillance over the course of a day, which would be useful to a police tactical unit that wants to know exactly who enters and exits a crack den in the hours before the cops launch a raid.